Posted on 09/02/2021
A few rules to avoid mistakes
We talk and talk and talk on this blog! We talk about wine, its origins, its place in the French language, in our homes, what it inspires in us... We try to give you the best possible advice on how to store and enjoyit... But isn't the most important thing simply to choose the right wine ?
You're invited to dinner (I hope this blog outlives that damned covid), you've got just enough time to get home from work, change and buy a bottle. Suddenly, faced with rows of labels, you feel dizzy! If reading this makes you think you're in a supermarket, let's move on to the first rule...
Choose a wine merchant
The first reason is obvious: advice. You'll never find a wine specialist in a hypermarket! But that's not the only reason to choose a wine merchant. Most good estates refuse to be found in supermarkets. What's more, supermarkets need a large supply of wine, so they naturally turn to large estates. A wine merchant will have things that are rarer and more interesting too...
Don't (always) rely on price
Granted, a high price is often an indicator of good quality, but the reverse is not necessarily true! There are an astronomical number of very good wines at affordable prices. There are a number of reasons for this, including a wine's lack of notoriety or its tendency to be drunk quickly.
How to read a label
"Grand cru", "premier cru", etc. will often lead you in the right direction. Forget "grand vin" or "vieilles vignes", which have no legal value. Look at the AOC and the vintage, and with a little research and memory, you'll soon know what you like!
Choosing a good vintage
The vintage is the year in which the wine is produced, and is essential to its quality. Temperature, rainfall and the thousand other factors that come into play in the life of the vine mean that one year will be better or worse than the last. Of course, one year can be good for a region - or even a particular vineyard - and bad for another, but in recent years, generally speaking, the good vintages are: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2010, 2009... If the bottle you're holding in your hands was produced in those years, you've already reduced the risks!
